Process for the alkylation of a cycloalkene

Title: Process for the alkylation of a cycloalkene.Abstract: Process for the alkylation of a cycloalkene, which process comprises alkylating a cycloalkene with an oxygenate under alkylating conditions in the presence of a zeolite; to yield an alkylated cycloalkene. Composition obtainable by such a process and use of such a composition as a gasoline blending component. ...

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a process for the alkylation of a cycloalkene, more in specific the invention relates to a process for the preparation of alkylated cyclopentene, cyclohexene, vinylcyclohexene or ethylcyclohexene.

BACKGROUND

Organic compounds comprising a cycloalkene ring substituted with one or more alkyl groups, such as for example alkylcyclopentenes, dialkylcyclopentenes, alkylcyclohexenes, dialkylcyclohexenes, trialkylcyclo-hexenes and alkylated alkenyl-cyclohexenes are desirable chemicals.

For example 1-methylcyclopentene, 1-methylcyclo-hexene, 1,2-dimethylcyclohexene, 1,2,4-trimethyl-4-isopropenyl-cyclohexene, are interesting gasoline blending components, as described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 2,402,863 and JP-A-09302359 and the article “Knocking Characteristics of Pure Hydrocarbons” by the American Petroleum Institute, ASTM Special Technical Publication No. 225, 1958, page 14.

In addition, such compounds comprising a cycloalkene ring substituted with one or more alkyl groups have application as starting component for various other organic compounds. For example, methylcyclopentene and/or methylcyclohexene can be used in for example the synthesis of various insecticides, resin intermediates and related products. If desirable, methylcyclopentene can be isomerized into cyclohexene or hydrogenated and isomerized into cyclohexane. Such a process can be useful if at a certain location less cyclohexane than desired is available.

If desirable, cyclohexane can, in turn, be converted to benzene. Also methylcyclopentene can be converted to benzene over a conventional reformer catalyst.

Processes for the preparation of e.g. alkylcycloalkene and/or dialkylcycloalkene are well known in the art.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,593,446, U.S. Pat. No. 2,765,355 and JP-A-10036295 describe the preparation of methylcyclopentene by selective dehydrogenation of methylcyclopentane.

Such dehydrogenation, however, has several disadvantages. It is an endothermic reaction, which requires energy to be added to the process. Dehydrogenation must also be carried out at a low partial pressure in order to favor the production of olefins.

Furthermore, it is difficult to fully control the dehydrogenation. Therefore the dehydrogenation often generates less desirable by-products such as less desirable stereoisomers, di-olefins and benzene. Such di-olefins can cause fouling in a reactor under dehydrogenation conditions. Such fouling can result in considerable coke-formation.

The dehydrogenation of methylcyclopentane, for example, produces not only 1-methylcyclopentene, but also its stereoisomers such as 4-methylcyclopentene. As is clear from the above-mentioned article “Knocking Characteristics of Pure Hydrocarbons”, the latter is a less desirable gasoline blending component. A further disadvantage, specifically for the preparation of methylcyclopentene via dehydrogenation, is that the starting compound for such dehydrogenation, i.e. methylcyclopentane, is difficult to obtain in a relatively pure form by distillation. Methylcyclopentane is often obtained as a part of a C6 fraction of a gasoline, for example a fully hydrotreated pyrolysis gasoline, comprising also compounds such as n-hexane or cyclohexane. Methylcyclopentane has a boiling point of about 71° C., whereas for example n-hexane has a boiling point of about 69° C. The methylcyclopentane is, therefore, difficult to separate as a pure component through simple distillation from such n-hexane.

It would therefore be desirable to have an alternative process for the preparation of organic compounds comprising a cycloalkene ring substituted with one or more alkyl groups. It would further be desirable if such alternative process could be based on an exothermic reaction and would produce only a limited amount of undesirable byproducts such as benzene.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,214 describes a method comprising reacting an olefin with methanol and a catalytically effective amount of a metal halide selected from ZnI2, ZnBr2, and mixtures thereof at a temperature of from 190° C. to 300° C. In example 6, U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,214 describes the reaction of cyclohexene, methanol and Zinc Iodide at a temperature of 200° C. This process has, however, the disadvantage that the conversion and selectivity for the reaction are very low. The product stream in example 6 contained 77.7% unreacted cyclohexene, 6.2% methyl cyclohexenes and 3.2% dimethyl cyclohexenes.

It would be desirable to have a process for the alkylation of a cycloalkene with an oxygenate, which has a high conversion and/or selectivity.

SUMMARY

It has now been surprisingly found that cycloalkenes can be alkylated by an oxygenate with high conversion and selectivity in the presence of a zeolite.

Accordingly the present invention provides a process for the alkylation of a cycloalkene, which process comprises alkylating a cycloalkene with an oxygenate under alkylating conditions in the presence of a zeolite; to yield an alkylated cycloalkene.

The process according to the invention results in advantageously high conversions and selectivities towards the desired alkylated cycloalkene. In addition, the reaction of the cycloalkene ring with the oxygenate in such a process is exothermic, i.e. generating energy, and is therefore economically more advantageous than the former mentioned dehydrogenation. The process can also, if desired, be carried out at normal pressure (about 1 atmosphere). Furthermore, the amount of byproducts such as benzene, is low.

In addition, specifically for the preparation of methyl-cyclopentene, a starting compound such as cyclopentene can be easily obtained from a C5 fraction of a gasoline such as a pyrolysis gasoline by simple distillation. This is for example illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,264,799.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The cycloalkene used as starting compound can be any cycloalkene or cycloalkene derivative. That is, such cycloalkene can be any organic starting compound, comprising a cycloalkene ring. The cycloalkene, which is used as a starting compound in the process of the invention is hereafter sometimes also referred to as organic starting compound, starting compound or cycloalkene starting compound.

The cycloalkene contains at least one cycloalkene ring, optionally being substituted with one or more substituents. By alkylation of the cycloalkene is understood that such cycloalkene ring is alkylated.

Preferably the cycloalkene contains only one cycloalkene ring. Such a cycloalkene ring can be substituted or non-substituted. When substituted, the cycloalkene ring can be substituted with one or more substituents, preferably 1 to 3 substitutents. The substituents are preferably hydrocarbyl groups.

Hence, in a first preferred embodiment the cycloalkene, used as a starting compound, is a cycloalkene, comprising a cycloalkene ring, which ring is non-substituted. In such case the cycloalkene starting compound consists of only a cycloalkene ring.

In a second preferred embodiment the cycloalkene, used as a starting compound, is a cycloalkene, comprising a cycloalkene ring, which ring is substituted with one or more hydrocarbyl groups.

If substituted with any hydrocarbyl groups, the cycloalkene is preferably substituted with 1 to 3, more preferably 1 or 2 hydrocarbyl groups. Such hydrocarbyl groups are preferably alkyl and/or alkenyl groups. Such alkyl and/or alkenyl groups preferably have from 1 to 4 carbon atoms. Preferred hydrocarbyl groups therefore include C1-C4 alkyl groups, such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl and tert-butyl, and C1-C4 alkenyl groups, such as vinyl, propenyl, isopropenyl, butenyl and iso-butenyl. Most preferably the cycloalkene is a non-substituted cycloalkene or a cycloalkene substituted with one or two C1-C4 alkyl groups.

The cycloalkene preferably has a cycloalkene ring having from 4 to 6 carbons in the ring. More preferably the cycloalkene comprises a cyclopentene or cyclohexene ring. Still more preferably the cycloalkene is a substituted or non-substituted cyclopentene or a substituted or non-substituted cyclohexene.

In the process according to the invention the cycloalkene, comprising a cycloalkene ring, is converted (i.e. alkylated) into an alkylated cycloalkene. In the alkylated cycloalkene, the cycloalkene ring is substituted with one or more alkyl groups. The alkylated cycloalkene can be any alkylated cycloalkene or alkylated cycloalkene derivative. That is, the alkylated cycloalkene can be any organic product compound, comprising a cycloalkene ring, wherein such ring has been substituted with one or more alkyl groups by alkylation. The alkylated cycloalkene is hereafter sometimes also referred to as organic product compound, product compound or alkylated cycloalkene product compound.

If the cycloalkene used as starting compound was already substituted with an alkyl group, the process results in the cycloalkene being substituted with one or more additional alkyl groups.

Preferably the cycloalkene is alkylated to become substituted with 1 to 3, possibly additional, alkyl groups.

More preferably the cycloalkene becomes substituted with one or two alkyl groups, in order to prepare the corresponding alkylated or di-alkylated organic compound. By an alkyl group is understood an organic group that is saturated, (i.e. comprises no double or triple bonds), and consists of only hydrogen and carbon atoms (i.e. comprises no heteroatoms). The alkyl groups are preferably alkyl groups having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms. Examples of such alkyl groups include methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl and tert-butyl groups. Most preferably the alkylated cycloalkene is substituted with methyl and/or ethyl groups.

Most preferably the cycloalkene starting compound is cyclopentene, cyclohexene, ethylcyclohexene or vinyl-cyclohexene, in order to prepare an alkylated cyclopentene, an alkylated cyclohexene, an alkylated ethylcyclohexene or an alkylated vinyl-cyclohexene.

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20090910|20090227824|process for the alkylation of a cycloalkene|Process for the alkylation of a cycloalkene, which process comprises alkylating a cycloalkene with an oxygenate under alkylating conditions in the presence of a zeolite; to yield an alkylated cycloalkene. Composition obtainable by such a process and use of such a composition as a gasoline blending component. |